Votes aren't there for commuter tax
Dear Editor It will be interesting to see if 2103 mayoral candidate Scott Stinger can count on his Albany allies for implementation of the non-resident commuter tax. Democratic Assembly Speaker Sil...

Two tax lots means lots of problems
Dear Editor: According to New York State Law, property owners are required to pay property taxes whether or not they receive a bill. While I agree that it is a homeowner’s responsibility to ensure ...

Time to collect on old student loans
There is another solution to President Barack Obama and the Democrats call for finding $5.9 billion to prevent interest rates on Stafford student loans increasing from 3.4 to 6.8 percent in July. P...

Capitalism alive and well, just not here
Dear Editor: In spite of the bongo-banging 99 percenters denouncing the evils of capitalism, something they have never actually seen in their lifetimes, billions are waking up to the empowerment of...

North Korea a ticking timebomb
Dear Editor: The situation with North Korea is, at best, very precarious. The country is saber rattling again, and the United States and the rest of the international community needs to be very war...

The other sinking ship
Dear Editor: We heard a lot about the Titanic last week. It was a tragic accident, to be sure, but the story of the Lusitania is much more interesting, tragic and sinister, to say the least. The si...

R.I.P. Dick Clark
Dear Editor; I am sadden as many are about the passing of Dick Clark, who was called America's oldest teenager. He was larger than life and brought rock and roll into our homes for many years. I re...

We have to admit we have a problem
Dear Editor: I have reluctantly concluded that the economic, political, and cultural challenges we face may never be resolved. The truth about our country’s condition and prognosis is not reported ...

Legalize it, don't criminalize itDear Editor: Recent news that Governor Andrew Cuomo will not support legislation to legalize the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes in 2012 is disappointing. Despite the best efforts of both g...

The business of politics
Dear Editor: The local press is awash with statements that the upcoming Democratic Primary for the nomination in the newly created 6th Congressional District “...is a short time for the candidates ...

Money flowing freely to Big OilDear Editor: On March 29, Republicans in the Senate calling the bill a political stunt, blocked legislation to strip billions of dollars in tax breaks for the biggest U.S. oil companies. A last min...

Thanks on behalf of the ALADear Editor: As we approach National Volunteer Appreciation Week, the Lung Association wishes to call attention to the volunteers who give their time and talent to further our mission of saving liv...

Gambling a bad bet
Dear Editor: Assemblyman Phillip Goldfeder is happing that legalized gambling will be coming to New York. I wonder if the legislator realizes how many of his constituents will be throwing their mon...

GOP shows it true colorsDear Editor: Finally, the Republicans are laying down their ground rules. First, they won't eliminate tax breaks for big oil, and now the party of small government wants to bring back earmarks. Wit...

Allow priests to marry
Dear Editor: The recent criticism by Pope Benedict XVI that priests should not question celibacy is totally typical for an institution that refuses to accept change. The Catholic Church continues t...

Breaking News

By David Lawder and Richard Cowan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A chaotic three-month-long fight in Congress over funding the U.S. domestic security agency finally ended on Tuesday, but not before it highlighted House Speaker John Boehner's inability to halt the Republican Party's further descent into disorder. The House of Representatives approved full fiscal-year funding for the Department of Homeland Security, after attempts by conservative Republicans to make funding contingent on blocking actions on immigration last November by Democratic President Barack Obama in which he bypassed Congress. The final bill passed by the House in a 257-167 vote was a Senate measure stripped of language attacking Obama's orders, which lifted the threat of deportation for millions of undocumented residents. The vote ended a fight that brought the DHS within hours of a partial shutdown last week and raised new questions about Boehner's leadership.

By Julia Edwards WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department has concluded that the Ferguson, Missouri, police department routinely engages in racially biased practices, a law enforcement official familiar with the department's findings said on Tuesday. The investigation into the police department began in August after the shooting of unarmed African-American teen Michael Brown by a white police officer in Ferguson sparked national protests. Analysis of more than 35,000 pages of police records found racist comments from officers as well as statistics that showed African-Americans make up 93 percent of arrests while accounting for only 67 percent of the population in Ferguson, the official said.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Facing scrutiny over its practices for responding to sexual assault, a liberal arts college in Iowa has taken the unusual step of asking federal investigators to review whether three cases were handled appropriately.